The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for reducing the consumption of plate processing fluid and more particularly to a method and apparatus for reducing consumption of solutions used to develop imaged workpieces.
In the process for preparing lithographic printing plates which is described in U.S. Published Application 2003/0072575A1, the plates are imaged in an imaging station and are then fed directly to a processing station where a liquid developer is applied. In the processing station, the plates are transported by a conveyor past an applicator which applies a thin film of developer solution generally uniformly over the surface of each imaged plate. This thin film of developer is allowed to dwell on the plate for a time sufficient to complete the development, and is then rinsed from the plate.
In an automated line in which plates are imaged and then developed, the time required for imaging typically is the throughput limiting step in the process. Thus in a continuous process, the developing station has a period of inactivity after a particular plate is processed and before the subsequent plate is processed. It would be useful to develop an automated method and apparatus for preparing lithographic printing plates or other workpieces having improved efficiency.
When lithographic printing plates are individually conveyed through a developing station, in order to ensure that all of the imaged portion of each plate is contacted with developer there is some overspray or overrun of developer onto the conveyor on each of the four sides of the plate. This developer is usually not recovered and therefore goes to waste. It would be useful to devise a method of applying developer to the plates in which the quantity of wasted developer is reduced.